January_1970 — Page 30

1970.1

The planning background to housing in Hong Kong

by

Brian J. Hadland

chairman

Town Planning Institute (HK Branch)

AS a general rule, only households which earn more than HK$1000 a month can afford private, self-contain- ed accommodation in Hong Kong. The 1966 By-census told us that these comprised only 16% of the households at that time; 84% earning less than $1000 per month.

Although originally Government housing was started as an emergency measure with the sole object of freeing land for development, the aim has now changed. It is now accepted that the aim should be to enable any family to obtain self-contained accommodation suitable for its needs. This explains why over the last few years Govern- ment and Government Aided Housing has been provided on such a large scale and at present houses over 37% of the population.

By 1976 it is expected that this will rise to over 50% of the popula- tion, but by that time the percentage of households unable to afford private self-contained accommodation will probably, due to increasing prosperity, have dropped to 73%, so the gap is gradually being closed.

Densities and cost

The achievement of this enormous housing programme, within the finan- cial resources available, has had a direct effect upon densities. Whilst high densities were originally adopted in order to accommodate the maxi- mum number of people in the space available and so clear the maximum area of land for other forms of de- velopment it is now realised that the standard of housing should be geared to what people can afford, if large subsidies are to be avoided.

In western countries people can afford to pay $300 a month (say US$50 or £20) for housing, but in Hong Kong they are only willing to pay 1/10th of this. Consequently, the main bulk of Government housing has been at the rate of only 24 sq. ft. of usable floor area per person, whereas the normal provision in western coun- tries would be in the region of 200 to 250 sq. ft. per person.

The result is that overall town densities in Hong Kong are around 250 persons per acre, whereas New Towns in western countries are usually about 25 persons per acre or below. This 1:10 ratio appears at all levels of considera- tion, but in making these comparisons it must be remembered that climatic conditions make a considerable dif- ference. In cold climates man's dwelling must shelter him from the elements and because of the long winter nights it serves as a focus of social existence which is largely centred around his family. In warm climates, on the other hand, much more time can be spent outdoors.

Thus, the basic decision which has to be made is whether the money which can be afforded for housing should be spread to provide a lot of housing at a low space standard or less housing at a higher space standard. If the decision is to provide the maximum amount of housing at the minimum of cost (as it has been in Hong Kong) it is unavoidable that high densities will result.

prime reason for the high densities in Hong Kong is the low space standard. Again, it is recognised that as prosperi- ty increases and people can afford more for housing, space standards can be improved. It was raised to a minimum of 35 sq. ft. per person two years ago, and may improve further in years to come.

Government and Government-aided

housing

By the end of March 1969 housing had been provided for over 1%1⁄2 million persons in Government and Government-aided housing; 50% of this during the last 5 years. Most of this housing has been provided in new areas on the periphery of the urban area or in New Towns, whereas new private housing has tended to con- centrate in the older urban areas.

The new areas have a high propor- tion of Government and Government- aided housing, and as high as 89% in places such as north-east Kowloon.

The housing estates themselves provide only a limited range of facilities besides the actual housing and this poses particular problems in ensuring that the many other vital facilities such as employment, clinics, hospitals, police stations, fire-stations, etc. are located in convenient relation- ships to the housing estate and become available at the time they are required.

Private housing

The private developer has also made a significant contribution to- wards relieving the housing problem, in fact more private floor area was built between 1961 and 1967 than provided in Government and Govern- ment-aided housing. However, it has been in "waves".

The acute shortage of housing accommodation in 1961 was followed by a building boom climaxed in 1966, which was subsequently followed by a building recession which lasted up to early this year. Signs are again apparent that demand is exceeding So it can be concluded that the supply and that interest has been

To emphasize this point it is worth noting that permitted building volumes in Hong Kong are no higher than what is normal in western countries.

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Far East BUILDER, January 1970

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